Sites accessible to users of screen readers or talking browsers will receive a Text-to-Speech Access Key. People using text-to-speech software may have low vision and use their software in addition to screen magnification software as an aid. They may also use their computers without monitors.
Users of text-to-speech software are going to have to listen to your web page read to them. Therefore it is very important to provide descriptive text where it should be. You should also provide easy ways of navigating a page and skipping through long lists of links or between different sections of text. Be clear about the destination of all links and avoid using text or descriptions where you do not need them. This will cut down on the time it takes to listen to each individual page. Many users will also navigate using only the keyboard so make certain navigation does not require a mouse. Make sure your site will make sense when the information is displayed in linear fashion - the order in which the text appears without visual formatting - as layout tables sometimes cause screen reading softare to read cells in an order that will not make sense.
Expand acronyms and abbreviations using the appropriate tags so screen readers know how to pronounce them.
Read more about how Abbr criterion scoring works.
If you must have static equivalents of dynamic content on your site make certain to update them as frequently as you do your main site so as not to deprive any users of the ability to see the newest information you have available.
Read more about how Alt Page criterion scoring works.
All graphics must have correct alt text. If users need to see and understand the graphic to understand the information on the page then it should have descriptive text or a longdesc element. Decorative images and spacer images should have null alt text (alt="").
Read about how Alt Text criterion scoring works.
Make certain if you have automatically loading background audio that you provide an immediate way to turn it off as it will interfere with a user's ability to hear the output from their screen reader. Better yet do not have automatically loading sounds - instead give users the option to turn them on.
Read about how Audio criterion scoring works.
Keep the volume of any background audio in multimedia low enough so users can hear the main content clearly.
Read more about how Background Audio criterion scoring works.
If you use colour to convey meaning provide a way of conveying the same meaning without colour. Screen readers do not indicate colours.
Read more about how Colour criterion scoring works.
Use a consistent layout across your site as this will help users navigate your pages and find the most important content.
Read more about how Consistent Style criterion scoring works.
Do not cause anything unexpected to happen such as taking the user off site without warning, activating a link or a script automatically upon receiving focus, causing pop up windows to appear without warning, automatically refreshing pages. Do not do anything which might move the user to a different page or away from their place on a page without them realising it.
Read more about how Context Changes criterion scoring works.
By using correct mark-up you help the screen reader and hence the user to understand the text on your page better. For example do not use the <blockquote> tag to indent. Only use it to indicate actual quotes because a screen reader, depending on a user's personal settings, may announce a <blockquote> element.
Read more about how Correct Markup criterion scoring works.
Do not use deprecated mark-up. It confuses browsers and screen readers.
See a list of deprecated tags and attributes.
Read about how Deprecated Markup criterion scoring works.
As users of screen readers are tabbing through pages make certain all items can receive focus without activating their function. Require a second keystroke such as hitting the enter key or space bar to activate them.
Read more about how Focus criterion scoring works.
Give the user a chance to check or edit forms because it can be difficult for people who cannot fully see what they are filling in.
Read more about how Formfill criterion scoring works.
Title all frames so users know where they are within the page. This includes inline frames.
Read more about how Frame Title criterion scoring works.
You should always use client-side image maps and assign appropriate alt text to hotspots. However if you must use a server-side image map make sure you have redundant text links on the page as well. This is the only way a screen reader can access an image map.
Read more about how Image Maps criterion scoring works.
Provide a thorough site map that is easy to find. This will help people navigate your site and find information they need.
Read more about how Info criterion scoring works.
Label all your form fields so users who cannot see a page understand very clearly what information should go into each field.
Read more about how Label Form criterion scoring works.
You need to clearly identify the language of your page or any changes in language within the page so the screen reading software knows how to pronounce words correctly.
Read about how Language criterion scoring works.
Make it very obvious where each link goes. Link text such as 'read more,' 'click here' or 'go' makes very little sense to a blind user hearing a list of links read out.
Read more about how Link Target Text criterion scoring works.
Provide as much meta data about each page as possible. Make sure each page has a unique title describing the page content so a user can keep track of the subject of each browser window. You should also make certain to declare the language of each page and the encoding so screen readers know how to pronounce words and describe symbols.
Read more about how Metadata criterion scoring works.
Provide audio description of any multimedia presentation so blind or low vision users can experience important audio-visual elements of your site.
Read more about how Multimedia Sight criterion scoring works.
Provide obvious links to free versions of any plug-ins used on your site or provide the content in an alternative format.
Read more about how Plug-ins criterion scoring works.
Language should be appropriate to the content and the reading level of the readers. Blind users using text-to-speech software will hear your page read out so keep text short and simple.
Read more about how Read Index criterion scoring works.
Provide ways to skip over long lists of links, ASCII art, etc. and straight into content and group related links together. This helps reduce the time and effort it takes to hear a page and find the important information.
Read more about how Skip Navigation criterion scoring works.
Separate structure from presentation. By using CSS you remove extra and unnecessary information from the path of the screen reader trying to present a user with the important information on the page.
Read about how Structure criterion scoring works.
Provide a logical tab order through links so users can make sense of their location on the page. Most pages will not need a tabindex specified if you have structured your page well. If you need a tab order, take the user to the search box and the skip to content link first.
Read more about how Tabindex criterion scoring works.
It will often take someone using a screen reader longer to hear a page read to them than it will somebody reading on a monitor. Likewise if they have to fill out a form or complete an action it will takelonger because they have to make certain they understand the instructions given. They will also need to be more careful about the information they provide as they cannot see what they are entering. If your site has automatic time outs on pages or actions this can cause problems for users who need a screen reader. So ideally you should not have anything on your site which times out. If for reasons of security, privacy or anything else you need to set time limits for your users - you should at the very least warn the user about the amount of time they have to complete a task and then warn them again when the time is about to expire. Furthermore it would help to provide users with a means to extend the time they have to complete a task.
Read more about how Time Outs criterion scoring works.
Use access keys for important links or form fields but make certain they do not clash with hotkeys for Windows or popular screen reading/magnification software. The less keystrokes to get to an important object on the page the better. However, text-to-speech users need to access the functions of their software. Setting up access keys that clash will override their ability to do this.
Read more about how Use Access Keys criterion scoring works.
By using correctly structured header tags to break up sections of text you enable blind users to skim your pages by listening to just the headings and to jump between sections of content.
Read more about how Use Headers criterion scoring works.
To ensure that screen readers understand and render your website correctly, check all your pages with the W3C validator.
Read about how Valid Document criterion scoring works.
Blind users will not be using a mouse so make all the elements of your page accessible via a keyboard.
Read about how With Keyboard criterion scoring works.
Your site should still work for users who have JavaScript turned off. Many scripts require use of a mouse and users with text-to-speech software usually only use a keyboard.
Read more about how Without JavaScript criterion scoring works.